Sunday, August 24, 2008
When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine
Mr. Pirzada, a botanist, is living in America away from his homeland in the region of Dacca. Mr. Pirzada is a married man, and has a family, but is living alone. During his stay away, a violent and bloody civil war breaks out in his homeland. Mr. Pirzada's wife and seven daughters are still in the area. Feeling lonely, and longing to be with a family, he frequently visits a girl named Lilia and her family. Lilia has "no memory of his first visit, or of his second or his third, but by the end of September I had grown so accustomed to Mr. Pirzada's presence in our living room that one evening....I asked my mother to hand me a fourth glass from a cupboard still out of my reach" (Lahiri 24-25). Mr. Pirzada longs for his family so much that he becomes very attached to Lilia. He presents her with a gift everytime he shows up "He reached into his suit packet and vave me a small plastic egge filled with cinnamon hearts" (Lahiri 29). He worries for her safety, for he wanted to go with her on Halloween to keep her safe. "Perhaps I should accompany them" (Lahiri 38). Eventually Mr. Pirzada returns to an independent Dacca, and is reunited with his family. He writes Lilia and her family, informing them that everyone is perfectly fine. As Lilia recalls him, she thinks, "Though I had not seen him for months....it was only then that I knew what it meant to miss someone who was so many miles and hours away" (Lahiri 42). She had come to love Mr. Pirzada as a family member. This event re-inforces the theme that family love is an unbreakable, intangable, universal force.
A Temporary Matter
Jhumpa Lahiri's "A Temporary Matter" is about a married couple who aren't able to seal the rift that has parted their relationship. The wife, Shoba, and husband, Shukumar, become less connected to one another after Shoba bore a stillborn. They both have a feeling of guilt that it is their fault that the baby died, and this guilt contributes to the growing distances in the marriage. Other family menbers also contributed to the feeling of guilt that they had. Once, when Shoba's mother had been visiting, and the subject of the baby came up, she responded, " But you weren't even there." (Lahiri 9). One day, the couple recieves a notice that "for five days their electricity will be cut off for one hour, beginning at 8 p.m." (Lahiri 1). During this time, the coulpe shares previously unknown facts and secrets about one another. On the last unpowered night, Shoba tells Shukumar that she is moving to a seperate apartment. This action makes her seem very selfish, for she is not the only one who is suffering. However, "She wouldn't look at him" (Lahiri 21), and this signifies that she does contain sorrow for what she is doing to him. However, she feels that her action is in the best interest for their relationship and lives. This action can be linked to a theme that humans will think and care about others no matter what the circumstances are.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
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